The present invention relates to an archery target practice method and apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to an archery target practice method and apparatus for practicing archery technique with alternating still and moving archery targets.
Archery has been practiced by many nations for millennia. The principle of guiding an arrow accurately to a target has been used to provide sustenance, for sport, and in some cultures has attained a spiritual quality. The basic principles of archery have remained largely unchanged with respect to today's practice of archery.
Part of archery's allure is the difficulty required in attaining effective archery shooting skills. Many hours of discipline and practice are required to accurately hit a still target. Still more discipline and skill are required to hit a target in motion. Many archers who are proficient at hitting a still target are ultimately unsuccessful when shooting at a moving target. The moving target requires that the archer mentally compute a ballistic solution that includes an estimation of a "lead" or an aim point slightly ahead of the moving target so that an arrow fired at a point in space reaches this point in space the same instant in time as the target. The leading skill is desirable to effectively hunt and it must be practiced for the archer to become proficient in the leading skill. Much of this skill involves the archer developing a "sense" or skill at target motion estimation determining target speed and combining this "sense" with a familiarity with a bow and arrow. The velocity of an arrow is dependent upon the draw weight of the bow which the archer is shooting. The archer must know the velocity of the arrow at a given draw of the bow, or as in developing the leading skill, the archer must become very familiar with the archer's own equipment such that all variables in the ballistic calculation are "sensed" or known by the archer. These "senses" can only be acquired with substantial practice and integration of the archer's physical and mental processes. This integration of mind and body is responsible for much of the enjoyment experienced by seasoned archers.
A difficulty in learning how to shoot at a moving target is actually finding an archery target range with suitable moving targets. Gunnery or firearms target ranges that have moving target systems are ill suited for the integration of archery practice with the other forms of weaponry practiced at the range. The reduced distances required for an archery range, a desired quiet to achieve the concentration necessary to shoot an arrow accurately and non-firearm style targets used in archery are all missing from a traditional gunnery range. An archer needs a range that typically is less than sixty meters in depth, and is preferably only twenty five meters to practice shooting. Most hunting archery is done at distances of less than twenty five meters. The quiet concentration required to practice archery is also required to stalk game. Therefore, a quiet practice environment provides a real world archery environment. A gunnery range makes no provision to allow the archer to recover fired arrows without stopping activity on the firing line. A traditional gunnery range target is equally ill suited for an archery target. Arrow shafts are made from wood, composites, or a lightweight metal like aluminum. Arrow heads are attached by threaded interfaces or are press fit onto the shafts. The impact of an arrow on a non archery target, especially a rigid gunnery target, can send a shock wave back through the shaft that can shatter or bend the shaft or damage the arrowhead interface. Either result will ruin the arrow and require the archer to invest in new arrows and/or arrow shaft replacement.
To find a suitable moving target range, the archer currently has few choices. Prior art includes a target throwing device tossing a target reminiscent of a clay pigeon in a skeet or trap style shooting configuration to several elaborate remote control devices designed for multiple user gunnery ranges that embody the undesirable traits of any gunnery range devices as listed above. The target throwing device simulates an aerial target which rarely is the desired target of a hunting archer. Most archery targets tend to be running or bounding type targets. Additionally, a thrown target should be retrieved, with the arrow fired at it. If the arrow is retained by the thrown target, additional damage to the arrow may result from the target falling on or in some manner deforming the arrow shaft. Other target ranges are also suited for the disposable projectile with little consideration made for the safe recovery of spent arrows.